Over the years, services expanded and adapted to meet the changing needs of girls and women in the community. Today, YWCA tri-county area remains a leader in advocating for girls and women, and families providing quality programs and services designed to support and enrich the community. Direct service programming includes early childhood education, before- and after-school enrichment, youth/girls' development, adult education, and workforce development. Mission-based advocacy efforts raise awareness, offer issue education, and build social capital around women's empowerment, racial and social justice and inequities, and safe and healthy communitiessee additional information on schedule o.The early education center is a state-licensed stars-4 center offering infant, toddler, pre-school, and pre-k counts classrooms, as well as before/after care and summer camp adventures. Using teaching strategies gold and creative curriculum, experienced staff provide education, social and emotional enrichment, music classes, physical education, and assessments of literacy, math, and nutrition. The dignity kitchen provides two nutritional meals per day: breakfast, lunch, and a snack. The eec recognizes that the school culture and climate need support for families and children who experienced trauma. Yw uses a social-emotional learning curricula to support growth, development and understanding with an anti-bias approach. The eec has adopted conscious discipline as its primary social-emotional learning tool. Conscious discipline helps teachers address children's behavior as teachable moments, providing dignity for all children. Yw is entering its fourth year with the use of conscious discipline; providing teachers with ongoing professional development, resources, evaluation, coaching, and support to effect positive change. The outcomes of conscious discipline have been transformative in supporting children's learning, behavior, and emotional wellness so they can be successful. The youth empowerment program works with youth and their families to help them make healthy choices that will positively change their lives. With an array of specialized programs and a trauma-responsive approach, yep offers youth, young adults, and disconnected youth opportunities to expand their knowledge, develop leadership, experience growth and understanding, and become empowered to effect positive change through peer led advocacy. Yep programs include: game changers for boys 4th to 9th grade - focusing on career exploration, mentorship, and a social emotional dive into masculinity; boys to men'tors - helping boys process emotions and thoughts in healthy, supportive, and realistic ways so they can see themselves as powerful and capable of actualizing their full potential; young women rising gli chapters for girls in 9th through 12th grade - providing trauma-informed, self-development focused on engaging girls through leadership, career exploration, civic engagement, advocacy and self-care; great girls today for girls in 4th through 6th grade and girls in charge for 7th through 8th grade helping girls cope with stress, relationships, body image, healthy living and exercise while planning for their future today; girls take the lead for 9th through 12th grade students nurturing physical and mental health to help youth understand their connection to the world around them and become the leaders of tomorrow; young women rising for 18 - 25 years - helping them understand how to navigate pathways by creating networks, exploring finances, professional goals and more; in addition to social justice camps, cooking classes for families, and fitness for preschool children.The adult education and training center is a full-service program offering adult basic education, high school equivalency instruction and testing, and english as a second language instruction. Yw helps adults build basic academic knowledge and digital literacy skills, giving them the foundation for specialized training or further education.Many of the adults served are unemployed or working at entry-level jobs. The etc enhances opportunities for learners working toward a high school diploma, advancing math, and reading skills, and improving communication skills as non-native english speakers so they can be empowered to pursue their goals and passions. Education is critical to improving economic mobility and enables families to support themselves by providing "dignity for all" learners. Yw's adult education services contribute to an educated pool of workers and ensures that new residents have the english language proficiency needed to thrive in their new home so they can gain meaningful, sustainable employment.Yw's we360 program partners with ureeka: a teaching platform and community dedicated to breaking down barriers for women entrepreneurs at all stages of business development, to offer direct instruction, education, and wrap-around services for entrepreneurs and small businesses. This program offers technical assistance, counseling, business, and financial planning, connecting women to the resources they need to succeed. Dignity kitchen is a yw social enterprise, workforce development program, and licensed food service provider offering food service training, nutritious and affordable institutional meals, hunger relief, a cafe, and catering services to the public.The 10-week workforce development & culinary arts training program includes hot & cold components. Cia graduate instructors teach culinary arts skills that participants can apply to real-world food service employment while gaining job readiness and life skills.The dignity caf offers real life employment experience to individuals seeking rewarding opportunities in the hospitality and food industry. The licensed commercial production kitchen provides nutritious institutional meals to early education centers, senior centers, and social service agencies, most recently contributing to hunger relief efforts for families displaced by hurricane ida with over 50,000 meals produced and delivered since September 2021.In addition, dignity kitchen offers on-the-job training, nutrition education, supplemental food through weekly pantry distributions and healthy cooking demonstrations so families can learn how to prepare nutritious, balanced meals on a budget and improve their health.Americorps vista (volunteers in service to America) is an anti-poverty program designed to provide resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to improve their capacity to lift communities out of poverty.Americorps vista provides opportunities to individuals +18 from diverse backgrounds to dedicate one year of full-time service to YWCA tri-county area. Members contribute to planning, service delivery, community engagement efforts and impact measurement.Vista members support mission-based initiatives designed to increase yw's connection to the community and commitment to advancing racial and social equity. Together their work helps communities cope with trauma and engage in creating systemic change that alleviates poverty for generations to come.The foster grandparent program is part of americorps senior and works along with rsvp and senior companions. Americorps senior is administered by the corporation for national and community service, the federal agency that supports service and volunteering programs to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement. Yw partners with school districts, childcare centers, and other community organizations to provide one-on-one support services and mentorship to youth in grades k-12 with exceptional or special needs, or youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. Fgp pairs adults +55 years with opportunities that match their skills and passions to help children develop the academic and life skills critical to their development. The eruc (emergency rent & utilities coalition) program helps eligible renters facing housing & economic insecurity with up to 12 months of rent and utility payments to avoid eviction or loss of service. This impactful program has kept families in their homes preventing homelessness and eviction and disbursed over $6,449,606.69 in rental assistance and $189,266.03 in utility assistance to date. In partnership with montgomery county's continuum of care, yw is developing an initiative that will expand this support to homeowners facing similar crises.Impactful issue-driven advocacy & equity initiatives mission-based advocacy programming raises awareness, offers issue education, and builds social capital around women's empowerment, racial and social justice, inequities, and safe and healthy communities.

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